This happened a few months ago, but my gorge still rises at the memory:
At a party I met someone who's a third grade teacher at one of the best schools in New York. I asked him lots of questions, and he was kind enough to give detailed answers. Here are the answers that raised my hackles:
__ Do you teach grammar?
__ Not in the younger grades. We find it inhibits their creativity. We teach it in eighth grade.
But in fact grammar appeals to the persnickety side of 7, 8, 9 and 10 year olds. By the time they're 13 they can't be bothered with precision; they want drama, big ideas.
And:
__ What's the history curriculum?
__ They study the Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands, because they embodied the ideals of peace and justice.
To paraphrase from The Time Garden, I had to choke down symptoms of nausea.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
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